Gas-fired barbecue grills typically incorporate one or more gas burners, which are mounted within the interior of a cooking chamber. The gas burners typically are mounted in a lower portion of the cooking chamber below a cooking surface, such as a grill or grate, and are provided with a flow of gas, such as from an LP gas tank, for providing heat for cooking food items placed upon the cooking surface.
Typical gas burners are formed of metal and are configured with an interior chamber which is adapted to receive a flow of gas from one or more gas feed lines. The interior chamber of a gas burner is adapted to distribute the flow of gas from the gas feed lines about the gas burner so that the gas may be distributed through a series of gas orifices. Typically, the gas orifices are formed about a periphery of the gas burner so as to provide a relatively large flame pattern. In some embodiments, the gas orifices are downwardly directed and typically are formed along a lower portion of the outer periphery of the gas burner. Gas burners incorporating these downwardly-directed gas orifices also typically incorporate a protruding edge or flange which is positioned above the gas orifices and which overhangs the gas orifices so that drippings exuded from food items being cooked on the cooking surface of the grill, and other materials do not fall or drain into the gas orifices.
In other embodiments, gas burners have incorporated gas orifices about an upper surface of the gas burner. This particular configuration of the gas burners typically requires the use of a cover or shield which is disposed between the gas orifices and the cooking surface for preventing drippings and other materials from falling or draining into the gas orifices, and thereby potentially clogging the gas orifices.
Barbecue grills typically are not configured with a standard size or shape of cooking chamber. Heretofore, each grill incorporating a shield for protecting the gas orifices of its gas burners has required the use of a shield which has been specifically sized and shaped for use with that particular grill. Such a lack of standardized sized and shaped cooking chambers has led to the expenditure of considerable funds in designing, producing, and maintaining inventories of numerous sizes and configurations of shields.
Therefore, there is a need for improved devices and systems which address these and other shortcomings of the prior art.